Final answer:
If education is negatively correlated with happiness, it suggests that less educated people tend to be happier; however, this is only a correlation and not indicative of a causal relationship.
Step-by-step explanation:
If education is negatively correlated with happiness, this means that as education increases, happiness tends to decrease. Therefore, the correct answer is: b) Less educated people tend to be happier. This conclusion is solely based on the negative correlation presented in the question. It does not imply causation (i.e., that less education causes more happiness or that more education causes less happiness).
A negative correlation indicates an inverse relationship between two variables. If one variable tends to increase while the other decreases, they are said to have a negative correlation. However, it's crucial to understand that correlation does not establish causation. As our question concerns the correlation between education and happiness, options c) and d), which suggest causation, are incorrect.
Data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics often show that education is positively correlated with earnings and negatively correlated with unemployment rates. This means that generally, more education is associated with higher earnings and a lower chance of being unemployed. Yet, these patterns have their exceptions and do not necessarily predict individual happiness levels.